Uncomfortable Truths

From 20 February to 17 June 2007, London's V&A Museum will hold an exhibition with a self-explanatory title: Uncomfortable Truths: the shadow of slave trading on contemporary art & design. Whatever exhibits it conjures up, it can't beat the original anti-slavery logo, one of the most powerful and influential works of art ever created: Am I Not a Man and a Brother? The black on white printed image is the one most commonly shown. I've chosen a Jasperware medallion, designed by William Hackwood and made by the Wedgwood factory circa 1788 (CLICK). I've sharpened the focus. Question: Why did the V&A decide to celebrate the bicentenary of the Parliamentary abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade with the glum title "Uncomfortable Truths"? Could it be that all them rich white folks who run the V&A are projecting their guilt on to those of us whose forebears didn't profit from the slave trade? Admission is free.